Information for

You are here

Waterloo's co-op process

Applying to jobs posted in WaterlooWorks

WaterlooWorks

WaterlooWorks is Waterloo’s online system created for students and employers to manage the recruitment process.

WaterlooWorks' broad scope makes it a dynamic recruiting tool for employers, an all-in-one system for students to use to search and apply for jobs, and a record-keeping and interview-scheduling tool for Co-operative Education (CE) staff.

Work search resources - finding a co-op job

Combined job search

Adding external job offers to rankings during Main Round interviews (as of Winter 2018): External job offers received during the first interview cycle can now be added to your Ranking Form as part of the Main Match process. The Arrange own job form should be submitted immediately. You will be notified via message when the offer has been processed and added to your Ranking Form. Students will be required to attend all scheduled interviews. You must accept the offer through the usual Rank/Match process. This process is time sensitive - contact your Student Advisor (Work Term Support – WTS) on WaterlooWorks immediately to let them know you have an offer that you would like added to your Ranking Form.

Note: Only one offer can be added to a student's Ranking Form per match.

You can search and apply for jobs via WaterlooWorks, as well as search for jobs externally, on your own.

Meet with your student advisor (or a career advisor if you’re searching for a job for your first work term) to clarify job search strategies and to ensure you comply with Co-operative Education’s regulations and procedures.

Otherwise, you’re committed to all interviews granted until you’re matched with a job through the process.

We recommend that you write targeted cover letters outlining your relevant accomplishments and show the employer that you understand how you could benefit them.

In those letters, you may wish to include a statement such as:

Hiring a co-op student can save you money directly. You can find out more about the Co-op Tax Credit and funding programs for employers within Ontario and Canada at Hire Waterloo.

[Note: Do not use the above statement if applying to employers outside of Canada.]

More importantly, hiring a co-op student can bring immediate value to your workplace. The University of Waterloo runs the largest co-operative education program in the world and takes the professional development of its students seriously. All co-op students complete mandatory professional development courses to help them adapt to new workplaces and begin contributing away. Students are also evaluated by their co-op supervisors, and their rankings are visible to future employers.

Co-op Education will, upon request, provide you with an electronic letter of introduction that you may use to accompany your job search documents.

If you would like to use a letter of introduction, drop in to see a career advisor (pre-first work term student) or request a letter from your student advisor.

Financial incentives for employers to hire you

When searching for your own job, use these benefits of hiring a Waterloo student and the cost savings to help convince the employer to hire you.

A key financial benefit to companies who hire a Co-op student is the Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC).

Companies are eligible to claim the Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC) which provides them with a 25-30 per cent cost savings (claimed as a tax credit), up to $3000 per work term per student hired.